SLAVERY AND SLAUGHTER IN THE SOUTH SEAS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1373, 23 December 1872, Page 2

SLAVERY AND SLAUGHTER IN THE SOUTH SEAS.

At the Melbourne City Court on the | sth inst., Henry O. Mount and William O. Morris were charged on remand with ■: having on the high seas, on the 13th September, 1871, wilfully murdered cer- ' tain natives of the Solomon Islands, on board the brig Carl. The following was the evidence of the principal witness. :— Matthias Devescore deposed : I' am a seaman, and shipped on board the brig : Carl about 15 months ago. I was engaged by Dr Mnrray for a pearl fishing expedi--tion in the Caledonia group, I left from, Melbourne in the Carl for Levuka. Land was selected at Apii, and Mount, Dr Murray, -and Scott or, Morris, drew lots for land. At one of the islands about seven miles from Apii, at which we stopped, the captain wanted the natives to come off, but they would not, and while they were laughing and ehaffiag in the cabin, Murray said, " This is a big ship ; 1 think the best thing we can do is to dress up as missionaries.'' They were to disguise the ship as if she were a missionary ship. They did disguise him, and the captain put on the mate's monkey jacket turned inside out, the inside being red, and took a book under his arm. The mate was disguised, and had not on his usual ship rig, but I cannot describe. Dr Murray got a rug and put it over Wilson's shouldera and pinned it behind. Mr Mount put on a red dressing-gown, a smoking-cap, and a Chinese umbrella and Chinese slippers, and was knocking about the decks that way, with a book under his arm. A seaman named " Mick" disguised himself with white duck trouaers_and a blue serge shirt which' he got f rom^offle~one.—^Tw<>^ Kanakas who had shipped at Fiji as regular part of the crew pulled the captain, the mate, Mick^ and Wilson ashore, and I saw them distributing the leaves of the books as tracts. I did not go ashore, but saw them, as the. shore was not 300 yards away. They invited the natives, some of whom jumped into the boats, while the white men stayed on shore. Some of the natives came on board and went ashore again. No natives were taken there, as they would not come to the ship unless the white men remained on shore. Dr Murray said it was no use stopping, and we cruised on along the islands till we found a good anchoring bay, at Mallicolo, where . there was a headland swarming with natives, who cams off, btit wonld not lay alongside. A boat went ashore. Mount was in the boat in a red dress. The natives came in their canoes and traded, but when they saw the boat coming off shore again to tJfie~sTilp~^nßy— snoved off from-fchcaliip. The boat pulled quick, and fired a revolver over the canoes, and the natives in their fright jumped out, and were picked up by the first boat, and a second, which was called from the ship by the first boat. Eleven or twelve natives were picked up, and one was wounded. 1 heard Dr Murray say to Mount the native was wounded in the groin. - The wounded man was laid on deck, and we failed away. Dr. Murray was wounded with a pqisoned arrow. Murray said, **Oh, he?s woundecj. in the groin; throw! hjm overboard," but Mount said,' "Noj no matter wherehe. is wounded, it is wrong to throw him overboard ; but X will put him in a canoe," Mr Mount and two others pat the wounded man inacanoa I which was drifting ashore. Murray had his arm in a sling, and Mount aaid, "You're cooked now ;" and Dr Murray replied, " Yes, Harry, I am ; you are the. only man I .can give charge of the things to." After that Mount acted as mate of one of the boats. Before the firing over the boats, Dr. Murray and the others in the boat had two natives which we knew nothing about. We went to an island of the Solomon group, where the beach was growded with natives, who came off in canoes and swimming. We backed our. yards till they came j but all went away except one who swam off, and who stayed on board of his own accord. Dr Murray said to the captain after the canoes had gone, "This is a nice thing — two canoes alongside, and nothing done, and I paying you L 26 a month, and such . expenses I have got." The captain said, " You said I was to wait— what was the use of breaking the canoes for five , or six 1 Thepe will b.e plenty more." The prisoners were, on depk somewhere.; We waited, and three canoes came alongside — two on the port and one on the starboard side, and everything was got ready to upset them. Dr Murray was standing on the quarter-deck, with his hand oh the rail, and. said to the captain, "'When I give the signal, down he goes." ' Presently he said, "Are you ready?" and the captain saying- "Yes," Dr Murray said, "One, two, three." The ship's grew jumped upon the gunwale of the canoes on the port aide of the ship, and upset the canoes. On the starboard side the boat was lowered on the canoe, and a native who was stooping, bow in hand, to pick up an arrow to fire at the mate was shot with a revolver by the mate, which wounded him. The prisoners and all hands were on deck. Ten natives were captured. [The witness detailed the capture of other natives.] In the straits of Bougainville we came to a place where the canoes were plentiful, and as fast as they came alongside they wprp smashed, the boats were lowered, and the men picked up and brought on board. Some were bruised. The bilge-water in the boat was half blood. There was no time to count the natives captured. We got about 35 that day, and next day about 35 in the same w»y. After we put out to sea for Levuka, on the second or third day but, I was told there was a disturbance, but all seemed quiet. Some time afterwards Jimmy Chapman, one of the crew, said, "Come up, for God's sake ; we are all killed, the ship's on fire." I went up, and the natives of the other islands than Bougainville were in our favor, and said there was a fire, but I could see none. Then the Bougainville men were fighting i'Withi.-tiie'r'sapliuigsV'^nd^poking them up/ nd everybody waa shooting down the

hold with revolvers and rifles. I fired as well as the others. "

To the Bench : We were afraid they wonld burst up the hatch, and that we would be all killed, aB the other natives were able to burnt up the other hatches. When they atopped trying to get up we stopped firingfora quarter of tfnl hour or 50,., and then they started again, and we started again. I went forward^ and could riot find the captain any where till I found him iii the lazaret at'thr grog- barrel, drinking. , He did not give me any because I did not want any, bat he took h» "nip. " I told him to go and use his rifle like anyone else, and he went on deck. When"! went on deck four Mallicolo men, who had broken out of the hold, seized me round the legs, an* begged not to be killed. I put them into the: galley for fear anyone should hurt them. Dr Murray gave orders to shoot. every d one of them." The peaceful | natives were put oh deck, with a man t> ! guard them, arid the Bougainville and a few of the Solomon Islanders were kept under hatches, which were kept down by a chain cable and kedge anchor. Towards the morning there was a little, peace, and Dr Murray, in Mount's presence, told me to load a couple of rifles, but Mount said they were all loaded- When we were having coffee some one forward said he could see no one dead in the hold, and Mount said it was a good jdti. Dr Murray and the second mate'tHeii'Rpt an , anger, and bored holes /in the "bulkheads of the fore cabin. „ Murray said then that he knew where they were, and Murray, with the first mate Dowden and the second mate Lewis, went into the fore cabin, and fired through, the auger holes into the hold. 1 heard about 50 shots. Everything was quiet, and Mount said to Morris and Wilson and others that they had no business to fire then when everything was quiet. I saw t Murray and Dowden and Lewis fire through the auger holes, and Lewis said, "What a'fihe thing ! What would people say to my shooting 12 before. breakfast?" Dr Murray said, " Ah, that's the'way to pop them off." Lewis said, "That's the place to get at it," meaning the holes through the bulkhead. The firing was all over then, and the people took a bit of rest while breakfast was getting ready! -> When Scott tried to go down the hold, ' the natives stuck a pole up his guts and Jia_oome-jip.^_Shoiptly after- the natives began to come on deck, and as they came up they were tied. They, were all wounded. Those vho could not get up were caught in a noose of a rpie and hauled up. The friendly natives, I think, went and put the nooses round them. When all were lying. on! the deck, Dr Murray said, "Well, what are you going to do with these men ?" and one of the men replied, " What are you going to do? You have been gaffer so far, you know what to do now." I think Mount said to put them on some island, but there was no reply, and Dr Marray walked round the deck and ordered that a boy who was wounded in the wrist should be thrown overboard by a friendly native. The boy was remarkable as having six toes on each foot, and. six fingers on each. hand. The native, had him on the side to 'throw iiiim ovgFj when the other natives cried, "No, no, no ;" and springing forward tried to prevent him going overboard. The other natives who could move immediately on seeing this ran arid jumped overboard. About 30 or 35 wounded ■ were overboard,, and about the same number of dead . ones! I saw Armstrong fire at a wounded man who. was floating in the water, and he said he did it to put him out - of his misery. Mount and Morris were on deck at this time. We then r went to Apii, and when close there fell in with the Rosario. When the : men' were taken out of the hold, it was scrubbed, cleaned, and ; whitewashed j and there was no signs of fire, ' The hold was twice whitewashed. Before' the pfficer boardgd ub everybody trie,d to make himself look square. B$ Murray said to the captain, " You're the cap tain j introduce him :to me, arid I'll palaver him in case he should find anything." The lieutenant of the Rosario^ looked down the hold and went into the cabin to see the papers, and Dr. Murray told him how he was a doctor. The lieutenant could find. nothing. wrong. Murray went ashore at Api>. We took about 50 or 60 natives on to Levuka. The consul passed them there, and they went ashore, Lewis acting as supercargo.

The following remarks made by the judge who," at Sydney, sentenced Arm? strong and Ljowden to death will he read with interest: — - His Honor said he entirely concurred in the finding of the jury, and was quite satisfied that the evidence given by Dr Mnrray, the seamen, and the passenger Wilson, was substantially correct. Such horrible transactions, as these men had related were seldom heard of in any court of justice. Their evidence was a detailed statement of revolting crimes perpetrated by them and by the prisoners— primes pf such a terrible nature as to be hitherto almost unknown to civilised men. The account given by any one of the three persons referred to revealed a mass of treachery,: falsehood, and cruel wrong, which no honest man could listen to unmoved, or think upon without indignation. By falsehood and by treachery the natives were lured to come. on board to be deprived of their liberty, and when falsehood was not enough terrific violence, .was used. [{Hie canoe? of the poop creatures were smashed, and the natives thrown into the sea to the risk of their lives, and doubtless to the death of many. And when any of these men, bo brutally and cruelly used; " were troublesome" (for -thai was the' term that had been coolly used) whenever they did not submit to be captured that they might be deliberatelysold into slavery— means were taken to make them more manageable, and they were struck on the Head and on the arms with clubs and bags of shot. Jn this way these powerful .men fwh,o fc&H been eventually' massacred) had been overpowered by the prisoners, and by those who acted with them. This in itself was bad ; in its cold, heartless cruelty and baseness, most revolting. It was something that shocked all sense of civilisation. 4nd what was it/aU done for? For the low and paltry dpsirs pf ill-gotten gain ; that men' who ought to have been civilised men might sell a poor, helpless, savage race of men. There was no doubt about the crime, and the circumstances under which it was committed. The prisoners had found "a slave : market at Levuka, and that market they had bestired themselves to supply^ It was absurd to suppose that those for whom these men were procured were ignorant pf .

the means employed to get them. Of course they knew all about it. Tt was a supply of stolen men presumed to be obtained tinder the sanction of a Government, and by its license— and it was io be hoped that that "Government" would now, at all events, open its eyes to the nature of such an abuse committed under the license of its name. Who could listen to such a catalogue of wrongs as had been that day described, and remain unmoved 1 These horrors had been detailed by one of those who shared in the guilt with compunction, but by two others the thing had been perceived without the slightest apparent sense of having done anything wrong. Not only that, but more. The atrocity of firing down upon these poor captured creatures, cooping up together

GR

ened heavy rain, passed over with slight showers. Yesterday morning the sky was again cloudy, and during the forenoon the weather was very' oppressive. At about ten minutes to three o'clock the storm broke over the town with great fury, and violent gusts of wind, drenching rain, and showers of hail continued for about half an hour afterwards. The storm was of a rotary character, the gusts coming at first from the south-west, and afterwards shifting to the north-east. The rain continued for nearly an hour, the fall, as registered, being 1.57 inches, and' by the Telegraph Office rain-gauge 1.75 inches. Seven or eight houses were blown down, besides other damage which was donein the town. But the great catastrophe of the storm was a fatal boat accident, by which no less than seven persons lost their lives. It appears that yesterday afternoon a parry, consisting of Mr C. Wildridge, his wife, their five children, and a little girl, started on a boating excursion down the river. The boat was of about five tons burthen, and with a flush deck. It was a good sea boat, and Mr Wildridge, himself a boatbuilder and seaman, was in the habit of making trips to Broadsound and other places on the coast. Shortly afterwards the storm came on, and Wildridge cat a piece of canvas and pulled it over hia head, saying to Mrs Wildridge, ' Now, I am all right — you look after the children into the hold of the boat.' The eldest girl, suspecting danger, said, ( What will become of us, mother T, Mrs Wildridge replied, ' Your father will take caro of the boat/ She then tried to cover the little children with her clothes to protect them from the rain. While so engaged her attention was attracted by the flapping of the sail. Looking up, -she saw Mr Wildridge was missing. Immediately afterwards she found herself in the water. Seizing two Oars which came in her way she kept afloat^ according to her own statement, for a long 1 time. Ultimately she drifted to the right bank of the river, near which the boat capsized. About an hour and a-half afterwards a boating party observed a woman promenading frantically on the river bank. Ascertaining from her the facts, they pulled to the shore, and took her on board. She then stated that she had seen nothing of the boat, but in coming up the river she pointed at the hatches of her husband's boat, and the two .' sweeps' which had saved her life. Mrs Wildridge can give no further account of the way in which the accident occurred. The probability is that Mr Wildridge was knocked overboard by the boom, and disabled, as he was well known to be a good swimmer. The sheet probably caught in the tiller, and, filling with a violent gust of wind, capsized and sank the boat. It is probable that the bodies of the children will be found in the boat."